I know most traffic that hits this blog is from the equestrian community. Frequent visitors are likely familiar that while much of my blog is horse-based, I pursue far more than solely equestrian adventures. I rock climb. I ski. I travel. I explore.
Much of this adventure, many of these shared shenanigans - including visits from fellow bloggers/friends - take place in West Virginia. My home.
I'm sure many of you heard about the water disaster in recent weeks that happened near the State's Capitol. An "accidental" chemical spill occurred in the Elk River that ended up affecting the drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people. (No, I was not - fortunately - affected by this.)
They couldn't drink or cook with it. They couldn't clean or wash with it. They couldn't do a single thing with their tap water beyond flushing the damn toilet. FOR DAYS. Even now, with the system "cleared", there are questions looming about the potability of the water. The CDC has recommended that pregnant women don't drink the water.
The following text was written by a friend of mine on his blog "ropetrip". Now, while many of you are not climbers, the points Dylan makes regarding visitors to this state who enjoy what we have can relate to many who enjoy the outdoors and West Virginia. I'm sharing this with you in hopes that it will make you think and perhaps incite a response from you to push for better regulations for not only my home, but others as well. Without clean water we. have. nothing.
I've kept the ropetrip a lighthearted foray into the adventures and life
lessons of rock climbing. I never intended for this to become a
proverbial soap box on which I would stand and wax poetically. However,
it's time we band together and call for action. Environmental issues
related to the sports in which we partake are numerous and should be
addressed as areas of concern.
With the recent 7,500 gallon spill
of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) into the Elk River that left
300,000 citizens from Charleston and nine surrounding counties without
potable water for several days, many questions are left unanswered. Most
notable is the facepalming location of the guilty tanks a mile upstream
from the largest public water intake in the state. The sketchy business dealings related to Freedom Industries
and the development of CDC safety measures arbitrarily based on
improper chemical composition and material safety data sheets (MSDS)
with no safety data available are also severely conspicuous activities.
This is a multi-faceted issue that deals with problems in industry,
economy, and regulatory frameworks. I won't delve further into the
details as any interested folks can venture down the rabbit hole on
their own time. What I want to do is inform all the climbers, paddlers, backpackers and mountain lovers that this issue belongs to you, too. In-state,
out-of-state, West Coast, international. In our case, we who take to
ropes tend to focus on access over actual ecological health. It's time
we look at land management from a holistic point of view and promote
watershed health from source to sea. It doesn't matter who you are.
Young, old, gumby, top roper, 5.14 leader. If you make it down once a
week or once a year. You're a New River climber, and this is your land.
In fact, it's everyone's land, because we publicly own large tracts of
it as taxpayers. Have your love and passion for the region go beyond
practicing Leave No Trace ethics and throwing a couple bucks to NRAC for hardware replacement.
Because, guess what? Once the mountain tops are chopped and the water
supply is poisoned, nothing remains. Your weekend getaways to the AAC campground and cheerful meals at Pies N' Pints mean nothing if you don't stand up to fight tooth and nail for what remains. Simply
frequenting West Virginia as an out-of-stater doesn't absolve you from
the responsibility to collectively build coercive force to fight
corporate corruption.
Call and write to West Virginia's representatives. And don't think your
call doesn't matter because you're not a voting constituent. You contribute to the state's tourism economy
by spending your dollars at West Virginia businesses. Considering how
much money talks on the steps of Charleston's gilded capitol, you have
as much a voice as any native Mountaineer.
Don't fall pray to the idea that there are enough regulations on the books and the only problem is their lack of enforcement. This issue was the inevitable result of an industry with ZERO regulations.
These tanks faced not one line of century code dealing with inspection
because they were only used for storage purposes. And, you know, storage
containers don't deteriorate over time. So go and demand effective
regulatory structures. Demand that those regulations be enforced by
properly funded agencies with compassionate employees. Demand an end
to a destructive system that has long harmed the disenfranchised folk
who shorten their lives and poison their land to provide your
surrounding states with electricity.
Enough lofty rhetoric on my part. It's time we organize and produce tangible material.
When it comes to environmental policy, we fall under the gift and curse
of the policy window. This phenomenon is engaged by unpredictable
events that point the spotlight on particular areas of concern. While
these issues are illuminated, action may be taken out of urgent need or
public support. However, these windows are often short-lived. As soon as
some other story takes the spotlight, concern is lowered and the window
closes.
With the Bridgegate scandal stealing the airwaves from an involuntary public health experiment being waged on 300,000 tax payers,
the window is already closing. I ask that you take one source of action
from the following avenues listed below. Call, write, donate, curse,
scream. Do it for me. Do it for West Virginia. Do it for the New.
Because when we've processed the last chunk of coal and the lights go
off...when we've deemed the last stream dead, it'll be too late. NEW RIVER ALLIANCE OF CLIMBERS (NRAC)
Don't just send bolt money (well, do that too) but find out what you can
do to increase climbers' presence in recreational and environmental
policy issues at the grassroots, local, and state levels. WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (DEP)
Charleston Headquarters: 601 57th Street, S.E. Charleston, WV 25304
304.926.0495 WEST VIRGINIA STATE REPRESENTATIVE MIKE MANYPENNY (one of the goodguys)
mike.manypenny@wvhouse.gov
Room 203E, Building 1
State Capitol Complex
Charleston, WV 25305
304.340.3139 EARL RAY TOMBLIN, WEST VIRGINIA GOVERNOR
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25305
Office Phone: 304.558.2200
Governor's Mansion: 304.558.3588 WEST VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS CONSERVANCY
One of the state's oldest environmental conservation advocates. WEST VIRGINIA CHAPTER OF THE SIERRA CLUB
A great resource for all legislative contacts in West Virginia.
Last but not least, share this blog post. Share your ideas. Ask your
friends if they know the travesty that's unfolding down here. Do your
research and understand not only why the issues are the way they are, but what is
endemically wrong with West Virginia's all-too-lax regulatory system.
If you're out-of-state, make sure people are aware that we provide the
power they use on a daily basis. And finally, keep climbing at the New.
Thank you.
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